KC Grand Prix 2006
by Mystical Aquafina
Summary: To prove her worth, Tea signed up to be a duelist in Kaiba's tournament. In a difficult fight to the top, Tea finds herself, but is in for way more than she bargained for. And despite his lack of faith in her, Kaiba has to rely on Tea to save him.
1. The Challenge

**Yu-Gi-Oh! KC Grand Prix 2006**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own, I fantasize.

**99.9 percent of the things in this story are NOT true!**

**Chapter 1:** The Challenge

_This is it. I have travelled over 3,000 miles to get here. I can't let him down. I'm not here because of coincidence; I'm here because I feel that it's my destiny. He needs me. I can't go home now. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be the woman I am now. He has shown me that I don't need to rely on other people. I can take care of myself, and I am more confident about the choices I make. He has helped me so much; I have to return the favor. No matter how cold he has been to me and my friends. He still deserves my up most respect. I bet you're wondering who I'm talking about, huh? You probably figured it out though. If you haven't then here's a clue: He is the 'cold-hearted' CEO of Kaiba Corp. Ring a bell? He may be cold, but that's only if you haven't seen his other side. _

_Kaiba isn't as cold as you think he is. He really is a nice person. And somehow, someway, I have developed some deep feelings for him. Why, you ask? Because he helped me when I needed him...big time. Now I am an excellent duelist and a smarter person, two things that he helped me perfect. Now I have to put everything that he taught me to the test. I might win and set him free, or I might lose and fail everyone, but I can't live without him. That is why I am standing outside the Empire State Building at 2:00 in the morning. When I go in, I will have to duel Sergio for Seto's freedom. I don't care about me right now...I just want Seto back. Seto Kaiba has changed my life, and I will stop at nothing to get him back. _

"Man that movie looks so good!" Tristan said looking away from the television.

The gang Yugi, Joey, Tea, and Tristan were all hanging out at Yugi's place. This wasn't really a surprise since they meet there every Friday at 7:00pm. They either watch regular television shows, or they would watch a scary movie together. It was their special ritual.

"What movie? The Grudge? Yeah right! That looks too scary!" Tea said eyeing Tristan as he lifted his feet to place them on the coffee table.

"That's because your a girl, Tea. Us men don't get scared easily." Joey said standing up. "Actually, we laugh in the face of danger! Ha ha ha."

Just then Joey felt a hand on his shoulder. Terrified, he flew halfway across the room and before you knew it he was clutching onto Tristan, hanging for his dear life.

"Oh, hey Grandpa. How's it going?" Yugi asked as he identified the figure in the doorway.

Joey turned his head to look at the old man. Grandpa was staring at Joey with a huge smile on his face. He was trying his hardest to contain his laughter. He wasn't the only one laughing though. Joey had turned his head one again and he saw Tea holding her stomach and sprawled out on Yugi's lap. She wasn't laughing loudly, she was just laughing silently.

Joey turned back to grandpa. "Aww...GRAMPS! Ya know it's rude ta sneak up on people like dat!" He yelled.

Tea then let out her bursts of laughter, as did Yugi and Grandpa. Tristan was the only one who didn't look all so happy.

"Joey..." Tristan said in a low, threatening voice which caused everyone to stop laughing and fall silent. "Will you please...GET OFF OF ME!"

Laughter filled the room yet again as Joey landed on the floor with a thud.

"Hardy Har Har, very funny you guys," Joey said feeling a tad embarrassed.

"We can't help it if you scream like a girl, Joey," Yugi said as he continued to laugh.

"Why you-" Joey started to move towards Yugi until Tristan's voice filled the air.

"Hey guys, look," he said pointing towards the television.

"**-we are live here at Kaiba Corporation this evening and we have finally spoken to Mr. Kaiba himself. These were his words as of three minutes ago..."**

"_**Listen up you Losers."**_ The gang sweat dropped. _**"Are you tough enough to handle the ultimate dueling tournament this world has ever seen? Well, prepare your decks, because from exactly one week form tomorrow, my 3rd tournament will be taking place in the Kaiba Land Amusement Park. Believe me; this is **__**not**__** like my last tournament, Grand Championship. If you don't come to play you will get hurt, so you little kids stay home with your mothers, especially you, Wheeler." **_Joey was now fuming._** "This isn't a daycare center, this tournament is for real duelist. Be at Kaiba Land at exactly noon. Any later and you will be disqualified!"**_

"**Ohh! Kaiba's throwing another tournament and only the best of the best will be there. This will be next Satur-" **The volume was then turned down.

"Another tournament! Good! Now Kaiba can get what's coming to him!" Joey said jumping up from the couch.

"You? Beat Kaiba? Dude...he will duel circles around you," Tristan said ruining the moment.

"Yeah, Yugi's the only one who can beat Kaiba," Tea added teasingly.

"I could beat him if I wanted to! I was just playing with him his whole time!" Joey had to defend himself; this was the little reputation he had left.

"It's okay Joey. You're an excellent duelist," Yugi said and Joey's eyes began to water.

"Ya mean dat, Yug?" he asked sniffing.

"Of course. Kaiba just has more experience, that's all," Yugi said.

"Aw, thanks Yuge!" Joey said

"Hey don't forget who taught you everything you know!" Grandpa said.

"I gotcha gramps. When I'm richer than Kaiba, I'll buy ya a bigger card shop. You'll even have all the technology Kaiba Corp. has, but better!"

"What's up with the competition with Kaiba, Joey?" Tristan asked confused.

"Kaiba thinks dat he's better den everyone, and dat we don't deserve respect! Well, when I get all rich and famous, I'm gonna have a company and a mansion dat's much better den Kaiba's."

"A company, huh? What would you call it? Tea asked

Joey thought for a moment and said "Wheeler Corporation, what else?"

"But you know you have to be highly intelligent to-"

"Shut up, Tristan." Joey said.

The gang then laughed.

**10:25**

"Well, I'll see you later guys, sorry I couldn't stay longer, but I need some sleep. I have dance class in the morning," Tea said putting her hand on the doorknob.

"Well, okay. Do you want one of us to come with you?" Yugi asked

"No Yugi, it's okay. My house is only five minutes away from here," She said

"Dat may be so, but ya know as well as I do that it's dangerous out there," Joey stated.

"And we wouldn't be able to forgive ourselves if something were to happen to you," Tristan added

"I'll be fine okay. Don't worry. I'm only five minutes away. I'll call when I get there." Tea said opening the door.

"Okay, okay. Goodnight, Tea," Yugi said.

"Goodnight guys. See you tomorrow," She closed the door. 'My goodness! I really do have some wonderful friends.' she thought. They would do anything for her. She was lucky to have people who cared for her. She never knew that feeling because her parents were never around. Her mother gave up on her and her father when she was just 8 years old. She could never forgive her for that. She left all the responsibility on her father to take care of his company and their two children.

Tea and her older brother Tori tried not to be so much of a burden on their father. They did their best to look out for each other. They picked up the slack around the house and tried not to argue about trivial things. They had the best father anyone could ask for.

When Tea was 16, she convinced her father to let her stay in Domino City with her aunt to attend dancing lessons with some of the most prestigious dancers in the world. After talking it over, he let her live where she wanted if she promised to keep her grades up. She stayed by her promise and put her grades first, and as for dancing, she could feel herself growing as a performer. Moving to Domino had to be the single best decision she has ever made because she was on the right track of following her dreams and she made amazing friends and she ddint know what she would do without them.

Tea stepped off the side walk and into the street. What she didn't see was that car going 75 miles per hour.

_**honk...honk honk...**_

Tea then snapped back into reality and stopped in the middle of the str eet. She turned to see the black Toyota speeding her way. She tried to run but her legs were frozen in place. Tea panicked and let out a scream as she closed her eyes.

Tea opened her eyes and cautiously looked around. She blinked a couple times and sat up. She didn't seem to be in pain. "What happened?" She thought out loud.

A voice spoke from behind her. "I saved your pathetic life."

The new voice startled Tea. She turned around and saw the 6'5'' Kaiba looking down at her.

"Kaiba? What are you doing out this late?" Tea asked pushing herself off of the ground.

"That's none of your business, Gardner. Just be thankful that I just so happened to be out here,"

Tea then stood up and dusted herself off. "Look, whatever, Kaiba. I guess I'll thank you for saving me."

"You should be worshipping me," Kaiba said with a smirk.

"Excuse me?" Tea said eyeing him.

"If I hadn't saved you, you probably would've gotten killed. All you are is a damsel in distress."

"What!"

"You heard me. You're weak. You always need someone to save you," He said to her, pushing her buttons

"Don't insult me, Kaiba. Just because I'm a girl, doesn't make you anymore stronger than me."

"You think you're as good as me?"

"Don't underestimate me!"

"Alright then...I have a challenge for you," he crossed his arms.

"Go ahead, name your game!" Tea said

Kaiba smirked "You have to sign up as a duelist for my tournament next week and you have to AT LEAST make it to the finals."

'Whoa...I wasn't expecting that...' Tea thought nervously.

"What's the matter, Gardner? Are you backing down?" Kaiba asked

"You wish...I accept your challenge..." Tea said kind of confidently, kind of not.

Kaiba laughed. "Gardner...you don't know what you have just gotten yourself into." He turned to walk away, but not before his said his last words to her. "I suggest you start brushing up on your duelling skills because you only have a week to prepare."

Tea stared at Kaiba's back and just thought about what just happened. _Oh no...Tea what were you thinking? Sure I can duel, but how will I compete with the best in the world?_

She finally reached her house. She opened her door to walk into an empty home. Her aunt was rarely at home because she was always on important business trips. She set her keys on the table as she flopped on the couch. She glanced up at the ceiling. _All I have is a week. It didn't even take Joey a week to get to where he was and he couldn't even hang with the best when he was just getting into the whole duelling thing. _

She sighed. She didn't know who she was going to do it, but she would prove Kaiba wrong. She was more than a damsel in distress, and she would do whatever it took to prove it. She sat up on the couch and looked at her phone. There was only one person who could help her to be where she needed to be. She grabbed her phone and dialled Yugi's number.

It was already 11:48 in the morning and Tea was making enormous progress. Yugi was surprised to see how dedicated Tea was into learning all about the world of dueling, though he wondered what her motivation was. All Tea said was that she wanted to prove to people she wasn't a damsel in distress. But why do it through dueling?

'Especially a week right before Kaiba's big tournament.' Yugi eyed Tea for a minute. 'I wonder what's really going on...'

"Hello...Yugi are you still there?" Tea asked waving her hand in front of his face, trying to indicate if he was still listening to her. "You're staring dead at me and I doubt you even heard a word I just said."

"Oh, I'm sorry Tea. I must have spaced out..." Yugi said blushing, realizing that he was indeed staring at his best friend that he was supposed to be giving a lesson to.

"It's okay." Tea replied, giving Yugi one of her signature smiles, which made Yugi blush even more. "But of course, back to business. I'm really glad your grandpa gave me some of his own cards to choose from."

"Yeah, when we're done you should have a solid deck to work with in the tournament."

"That's what I'm looking for." Tea said. She picked up a card and asked Yugi to identify it for her.

"Oh, that's Cyber-Stein (ATK 700, DEF 500). That card could be really affective."

Tea tilted her head. "What do you mean it _could_?"

"Well you have to know exactly when you're going to play it."

"What does it do?"

"Cyber-Stein has a major special effect. You can special summon a fusion monster from your fusion deck to your hand, at the cost of 5000 of your own life points."

Tea's eyes slightly widened. "5000 life points..."

"Well yeah, but you have an extremely strong fusion monster that you can summon. Something that Kaiba himself doesn't have in one form."

"Oh yeah...I forgot about that card..." Tea said picking up the fusion monster she borrowed from Yugi's grandfather. "This is so perfect. Seto Kaiba, forget just the finals...I'm going for the championship."

As the week went by, Tea showed major improvement in her dueling ability. She spent endless mornings and endless nights at Yugi's place and her commitment was going to pay off. Her techniques were flawless and her deck was almost complete.

**Tokyo**

"Master Sergio, your limo awaits you outside." Spoke a woman of early 40's. She was indeed a maid.

"Hmm…Thank you Nicole. Tell Lloyd to carry my bags outside."

"Yes Master."

The 20 year old male walked out to his white limo and sat inside. Sergio E. Fiasco was the CEO of SEF Systems. He was one of the only companies that dared to try and compete head to head with Kaiba Corp. He also manufactured gaming products but none were as successful as Kaiba's. But it was time he did something about it. Sergio, infact, was on his way to Domino City to register for the KC Grand Championship. He just figured that once he won the tournament he could finally get all the publicity he deserved.

Sergio began to run his hand through his jet back hair. "I have been waiting on this for a long time, Kaiba. I'll beat you at your own game, take your pride and put you out of business."

**Saturday – The day of the KC Grand Championship**

"Oh man, Yami I'm so nervous!" Tea exclaimed looking around Kaiba Land. She constantly looked down at her watch. It was 11:58, and they have gotten there just with time to spare.

"Don't worry Tea. Yugi and I taught you everything we know. You'll be fine," Yami said giving her a reassuring smile.

"Thanks Yami," she tried to smile back but her nerves were getting the best of her.

"Yami, Tea, what's up?" A voice yelled from behind them.

"Joey, Tristan, you made it," Yami said to them as the two halted in front of them.

"Hey, you guys. Where have you been?" She asked indicating that the time on her watch was one minute before the hour.

"Joey here had to stop at Burger World and order every damned thing on the menu," Tristan said out of breath.

"No I didn't!"

"Seriously, Joey has a black hole for a stomach." Yami spoke

"As if we didn't all know." Tea added, smiling. Sometimes people couldn't get enough of talking about Joey.

"Oh great, here comes moneybags…" Joey groaned and the crowd of people began to settle down.

"I hope you all are ready for one hell of a tournament. If you're not I suggest you leave. Here you will meet only the best of the best and the competitiveness will only rise to a higher multitude. I hope you are ready because I take no prisoners."

Tea began to get nervous again. What if she didn't remember everything Yugi and Yami taught her, what if she messed up. _Man, I can't help but be nervous!_

"But you all are lucky enough that I paid all travel expenses." Everyone looked around confused.

"Our first tournament stop is Sicily, Italy. You all will also be staying in one of my hotels that I have specifically built for this tournament. The pilot on the plane has orders to leave immediately, so don't take your time. You all have 30 minutes to get to the airport."

"Wow, Italy, I've neva been." Joey said turning to his friends. "You've been there before though, right Tea?"

Tea smiled. "I was born in Sicily."

"That's right. I almost forgot, you're half Italian." Tristan said walking out the amusement park.

Tea nodded as they stopped near the streets. They just stood there and realized that the next bus didn't come until 15 more minutes.

"How are we going to get to the airport?" Yami asked.

"Hey guys, are you just gonna stand there like you have no place to be," Mai pulled up in her pink mustang convertible. "Get in."

"Thanks, Mai." They all said in unison. Once the additional four were in the car Mai sped off. Never hurts to be early.

Tea began to settle down and calm her nerves. I mean she was going home after all. _Maybe talking to Daddy will give me some encouragement of something._ Tea thought as she smiled softly. She was going to be fine, but she was eager to see what this tournament had in store for her.

_I may be nervous, Kaiba, but once I defeat you it will be all worth while. I'm ready for you._

**Im backkk . So Read and Review . All Ive done was put chapter 1 and 2 together .. the next chapter will be up soon . **


	2. First Stop, Italy

**Yu-Gi-Oh! KC Grand Prix 2006**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own, I fantasize.

**99.9 percent of the things in this story are NOT true!**

Chapter 2: First Stop, Italy

The gang arrived at Domino Airport in 15 minutes. Kaiba's guards were all throughout the airport making sure nothing happened and making sure all the duelists knew where to go. They went to check in and boarded the private plane with Mai and Tea sitting together and Joey, Tristan, and Yugi sitting together.

"How long is dis flight sposed ta take?" Joey asked already impatient.

"Well I think it's a little over eleven hours," Tristan said

"Dats bout my whole day!" He responded in disbelief.

Mai smiled and shook her head. "It's not like you had anything else important to do Joseph."

"She's got you there," said Yami. He then looked over towards Tea. She was already staring out the window and the plane hadn't even pull off yet. He couldn't help but wonder about her reasons for being in this tournament.

_**You must be thinking what I am Yami. I still don't get why this is so important to her now..**_

_Yeah, I know. It's like something has gotten into her, but I can't put my finger on what._

_**I don't even think she realized what she has gotten herself into though. I mean she was a pretty decent duelist to begin with, you know, with beating one of the big five in Noah's Virtual World, but we are talking about the top duelists all over the world here.**_

_I know…but what are her motives, and will they be enough to get her through this?_

_**I don't know Yami, but all I know is that we have to keep an eye on her, and help her out whenever we can.**_

_I'm more concerned about the physical damage that duelling does to a person. Yugi, is she ready for that?_

_**She's going to have to be..**_

The rest of the duelists took their seats on the plane and everyone got ready for departure. As the plane took off, Tea began to look around at all the duelists on the plane. They were all people who she had never seen. One man looked so intimidating. He was of a darker complexion, with a dark blue vest that showed his toned arms. He also wore faded jeans. He almost looked like an army guy. He turned his head in Tea's direction and stared at her. She jumped a little and clenched the arm rests that her hands had already been resting on. The look in his eyes made her nervous. He smiled freakishly at her. He could sense how nervous she was.

Tea swiftly turned her head and sank in her seat. Mai wouldn't let this go unnoticed.

"Tea, are you okay?" She asked the brunette, looking up from her magazine. "You seem a little on edge."

Tea's eyes wandered back to the man that had been staring at her, just to see that he was sitting back with his eyes closed.

"Uh…yeah, I'm okay I guess.." She said unsure.

"Are you sure? You really haven't said much since we have been here."

"I know, I'm just…thinking about what this tournament has in store for me," Tea admitted nervously.

Mai tilted her head. She heard that she was training to be in the tournament, but she didn't think she was serious. "You have only been training a week though. Don't you think you need a little more preparation time, hun?"

Tea eyed her. She knew exactly where she was getting at. "Look Mai, I have come a long way since our last duel. I'm not the same duelist you saw before you then."

"Tea.." Mai sighed. "Our duel was nothing compared to what these other duelists are capable of." She laid her head back and looked towards the ceiling of the plane.

"Duelists are ruthless nowadays. Going into this, you can't afford to be nervous, nor can you afford to not know what you're doing. They will tear you apart, piece by piece."

She stared at Mai. Everything she said was the truth. She knew how dangerous things could get and she knew she would have to stand on her own two feet and take care of herself. "I have come a long way since our duel, and I am prepared for whatever comes my way." Or was she?

"Why are you doing this?" Mai just had to ask her.

Turning her head to look out the window she told Mai, " I have to prove my worth.."

"What? What do you mean?"

Tea closed her eyes and held her hands in her lap. "I'm more than just a damsel in distress. I can be more than what I am, but I need to prove it. I shouldn't be underestimated, and I want to be more in life…"

Mai was confused. She didn't get her, and she didn't understand where all this was coming from. _Who does she need to prove her worth to? Tea knows her place in life and where she fits best. Dancing is her thing, so why the sudden urge to duel? Maybe, someone got in her head? _But she shook her head. _I've never known Tea to be weak minded to let someone get in her head. Hmm, I just hope she knows what she's doing because she is going to be in for a rude awakening if she doesn't figure things out._

**First Class**

Sergio sat in his reclined seat with his eyes closed. He had the simplest smirk on his face. He was patiently waiting until his encounter with the elder Kaiba brother. He knew that everything would play out the way he wanted them to. After years of being shot down by Kaiba Corporation, he was due for a victory. This was personal to him.

_You always felt the need to embarrass me in front of everyone who meant something. _

_You almost cost me my job, but I'm here to put an end to you Kaiba, to beat you at your own game._

Opening his eyes, he realized that he wasn't in first class alone, but Kaiba wasn't there as well. He smirked. _You won't be able to hide Mr. Kaiba, I can guarantee you that. _ He pulled out his deck and began shuffling his cards. A woman then walked up to him.

"Welcome to Kaiba Airlines! Is there anything I can get you to assure you have a great flight? A Pillow? Something to drink?" The woman had red hair that fell down to her shoulders and she had noticeable green eyes, accompanied by a smile.

"You can do nothing for me if you can't bring me Seto Kaiba," he said with the same smirk on his face, but never making eye contact with her.

She raised a brow as her smile faded. "I'm sorry, sir, but Mr. Kaiba will not be seeing anyone until the tournament begins. He isn't even on the same plane. He and Mokuba are proceeding to Italy on their private Jet."

"Hn," Sergio responded. He turned his attention towards outside the plane.

"…Well, have a good flight, sir…" She said, looking at him strangely before walking off.

Sergio continued to stare out the window. No matter what happened, he knew he was going to get the great Seto Kaiba to fall to his knees and get him exactly where he wants him. Sergio then laughed, his victory would be too sweet.

On their private jet, Mokuba seemed to be in such a talkative mood, but Kaiba was barely speaking back. It was as if he was in his own little world. Kaiba was staring out the window. His eyes hadn't even wandered anywhere else since they have been on the plane. Mokuba stared him in the face as he began to grow worried for his older brother. He knew there was something wrong with him, but he just wouldn't talk to him about it.

"Seto….you know you can talk to me about anything," Mokuba said, frowning a bit.

This caught Seto by surprise. He looked at his little brother, confusion written all over his face. "Mokuba…" he began, but his little brother raised his hand to stop him.

"Just listen, Seto. I know that when this tournament starts, you will become a little distant towards me, and you might even be worried about what all the bad guys might try to do to mess your tournament up, or beating Yugi, but just know you can always come to me. I may not be the smartest, or the tallest, or the strongest, or even the best duelist, but I'm your little brother, and I'll do anything to help you…"

Kaiba's lips then formed a soft smile. He knew what Mokuba meant. He always got so caught up in duelling and trying to beat the bad guys and trying to take Yugi's title, he rarely had time for Mokuba. He regretted that, but getting his title back meant so much to him…maybe more than it actually should have. He couldn't shake the feeling though. Then his mind began to wander back to Gardner and his challenge to her. He knew there was more behind just the challenge he presented her with.

He would always challenge Yugi, or would always have to face him, and it would be time to prove his worth. It would be time to prove that he deserves the King of Games title…but he always failed. No matter what strategy he used, or how many times he would play out the duels on his system, Yugi would always be above him.

"I'm sorry little brother, I don't mean to neglect you, or make you feel like I'm putting distance between us.." Kaiba didn't want his little brother to feel what he felt, nor did he want him to feel lonely. "But you know your place and what you mean to me. You know your worth. Don't worry bout me."

Mokuba tilted his head. _He needs to prove to everyone that he has what it takes to be at the top, and I don't want to get in the way of that, but I hate having to worry about him. _Mokuba got up from the seat across from his brother and sat next to him. He grabbed his arm and closed his eyes. One thing he refused to do was lose his big brother. He wanted him to realize that he was all he needed to be.

The next day the plane ride was over and everyone had arrived safely in Italy.

"Wooooo! I feels god ta be off dat plane! I was starting ta cramp!" Joey said stretching.

"I know…and those seats were unbelievably uncomfortable," Tristan added.

Yami, Mai, and Tea began to look around at the competition. Kaiba told them that the tournament would start as soon as they landed, and some duelists started as soon as they got off the plane.

"Wow, some of these duelists are really eager, It's crazy.." Tea said in disbelief.

"Exactly, people just got here and they are going to already be going home," Mai said in response to Tea. Tea turned to look at her, confused.

"Yeah, remember just one loss and you'll be eliminated. Kaiba wasn't lying when he said it would be more competitive this time around." Yami added not knowing that he just made Tea a little more worried than she had been.

_Single elimination? You have got to be kidding me! One mistake and its over for me! I can't let Kaiba be right about me.._

Sergio got off the plane with a smile on his face. He glanced at all the duelists and began walking. They meant nothing to him, he just wanted Kaiba. He began walking past the Yugi and the others.

"Wait until I get ta da finals! Im goin ta give Kaiba a piece of my mind!" Joey said loud enough for Sergio to hear. He directed his attention towards Joey and walked up to him.

Sergio laughed, and the group directed their gaze to him. "You think you have a chance against Seto Kaiba? You imbecile," Sergio said as his icy blue eyes stayed on Joey.

"What did you say?" Joey said putting his hand up to fight. Tristan then grabbed his fists and put them down.

"Joey calm down. We don't need you getting into fights!" Tristan said trying to talk to his hot headed friend.

"Yeah Joey, who cares what he thinks? Don't let him get to you," Yami said walking up to Joey in an attempt to calm him down. Sergio's gaze fell upon Yami.

"Mr. Moto, I should have expected you to be here."

"Do I know you?" He asked, giving him his full attention.

"It doesn't matter, but no one will touch Kaiba. He is mine," Everyone looked at him, not knowing who he was, or why he was so obsessed with Kaiba. "I will be the one to beat him, and bring him to his knees. Don't get in my way!" Sergio said to them, trying to make his threat. His eyes then landed on Tea. He walked up to her and stared in her eyes, making not only her, but the gang uncomfortable. Joey immediately slid between him and Tea.

"Hey! Move around!" Joey threatened. Tea was beyond freaked out. The tournament had barely begun and she was already attracting the crazy ones.

"What do you want?" Tea managed to get out, not trying to sound nervous. He glanced down at her duel disk and smirked. It was like he could sense her nervousness.

He began to backup and eventually walked away. "The nerve of that guy!" Mai said

_**Yami, I don't trust that guy..**_

_I don't either, Yugi. He is up to something, but I don't know what._

_**Who is he? He had SEF on the collar of his shirt..**_

_I wish I could tell you, but he just look like he's up to no good._

_**What was all that between him and Tea though?**_ They both turned to Tea. It was obvious that she felt uncomfortable, even when the others tried calming her down.

_No idea, but we'll make sure nothing happens to her. And maybe we should keep an eye on Kaiba too._

_**Yeah, your right..**_

"I'm fine you guys, seriously," Tea said reassuring them with a smile.

"Okay, well since that's settled, let's get a move on, walk around, enjoy Italy and observe the new competition," Mai said to the others who reluctantly agreed, but Tea's mind was still elsewhere.

_Who was that guy and why did he get so uptight about Kaiba? Everything is just weird right now. Hopefully, I'm just overreacting. I have to focus on what I'm here for, Kaiba just you wait, Ill prove you wrong._

**Read and Review =) **


	3. Duel Me

**Yu-Gi-Oh! KC Grand Prix 2006**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own, I fantasize.

**99.9 percent of the things in this story are NOT true!**

***Also, but so no one is confused, each duelist starts off w 8000 LP.**

Chapter 3: Duel Me

"Red Eyes, Inferno Fire Blast!" Joey yelled to his monster. The black dragon took flight in the air as it prepared for its attack. Fire escaped from his mouth, directed only at Joey's opponent, as he did not have any other monster on the field to protect his life points. The man fell to his knees. His 2350 life points dropped to 0 and his duel disk was automatically deactivated.

"How could I lose?" The man said aloud as he pounded his fist to the ground. Ace, was all this man went by. He was from California and travelled all the way to Domino just to have a chance at beating Joey Wheeler. He was tired of seeing him in the top duelling tournaments because he felt that his duelling skills weren't up to par with his. He wanted to eliminate people like him, out of these elite tournaments so he could get his fame, but it backfired. He overconfidently challenged Joey, taking his duelling skills for granted. Ace was good, but he had to face the fact that maybe Joey was better than he was.

With 1800 of his life points still in tact, Joey smiled triumph. "Now who's da big loser? Ya must not know who I am! I'm da great Joey Wheeler!"

"Yeah, the Great Joey Wheeler who always falls after Yugi and Kaiba.." Tristan said walking up to his best friend.

"Hey! Shuddup, would ya, I don't need ya ta embarrass me in front of dis guy!" Joey responded hotly.

"Don't worry about it Joey, you duelled great, and that's all that matters! You're one step closer to the top," Yugi said, calming him down.

"Yeah, Yugi's right. No need to rub it in his face," Tea said laughing a bit, although she knew how he felt. The man challenged him in front of everyone in an attempt to embarrass him. He had mistaken Joey for an amateur duelist and he felt the need to prove him wrong. She was telling him what he needed to hear, but he should have rubbed it in his face, just how she would want to rub her success in Kaiba's face. The only thing was, Tea still hadn't duelled yet. This was Joey's second duel already, Yugi had duelled once, and Mai had spilt up with the gang to find her a worthy opponent. Now all that was left was her. No matter how much her nerves wanted her to keep "postponing" her first duel, trust was, if she wanted to stay in the tournament, she was going to have to start duelling.

As the gang walked away, they were looking for places to stop and eat. They hadn't ate since they have been there, and Joey was not about to let his stomach get the best of him.

"Hey you guys, why don't we stop and eat here! I've always wanted to eat here since a year and a half ago when Tea was telling me how much she loved to eat here," Yugi said smiling at her.

"Yeah, Agrigento is the best pizza place around," Tea said "It's absolutely amazing, if you ask me."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Joey asked barging in. The gang shook their heads, they still found it unbelievable that Joey was so serious about food.

"You guys go ahead, I'm going to call my daddy and see if he's busy. Maybe I'll be able to see him tonight," she said as she pulled her phone out. Tristan and Yugi nodded as they entered the restaurant, leaving Tea to herself.

She called, but there was no answer. _Hmm, maybe he's in a meeting. He always answers my calls. _She, however, didn't worry much. She knew that her dad would call her back as soon as he could. She turned to enter the restaurant, but she heard a disturbing, raspy voice. She swiftly turned around to see the same man that she saw on the plane, harassing another female duelist.

"You pathetic girl," he said with a crazy look in his eyes. He had her by her wrist, lifting her from off the ground.

"Ugh, you won the duel! What else do you want? " She said trying to escape his grasp but it was no use. He lifted his hand to hit her..

"Stop!" Tea yelled as she ran up to the scene. One thing she couldn't tolerate was a man taking advantage of a girl. His gripped lessoned, and the girl was able to pull away and she ran by Tea's side.

The man smiled. "You're the brat I saw on the plane…how interesting."

"I can't stand people like you…preying on people who you think is inferior to you," Tea said coldly. If this girl wasn't strong enough to hold her own, someone had to be there for her.

"What are you going to do about it? You look just as terrified as she is," he tilted his head back as he let out a sinister laugh. "I'll do whatever I want, especially with damsels in distress like you."

Tea's eyes narrowed. His words had struck a nerve. It was the same nerve that Kaiba had struck. Her nervousness began to fade, and she began to look within. This is exactly what she was here for and she knew she had to be ready. She would not allow this man to judge her for what she wasn't. It was her time. It was her time to prove herself, and to take this man down for the low life he was. "**Duel me**," she said with emphasis, challenging his words. He laughed again.

"You have no idea what you have gotten yourself into little girl." They both prepared their deck and their duel disks as a crowd gathered. It was Tea's first duel of the tournament and she refused to lose, especially to him.

"Lets duel!" They said in unison. They drew their five cards to begin their battle and watched their life points light up to 8000.

"Ladies first," she demanded as she looked down at her hand. She felt she had an okay hand to start with. _Hmm…I'm not going to underestimate this guy at all. I'm going to give him all I've got! _"I place two cards face down on the field, and I play Mechanicalchaser (ATK 1850, DEF 800) in attack mode and end my turn."

He laughed. "What a waste of a turn. For my first move I place one card face down and play my Slate Warrior (ATK 1900, DEF 400) in attack mode."

"You activated my Bottomless Trap Hole card. It sends your monster straight to the graveyard."

"You're going to need more than that if you plan on beating me. I end my turn."

Tea drew her a card, it was Cyber-Tech Alligator (ATK 2500, DEF 1600), a monster that would need a sacrifice._ Maybe I shouldn't…not just yet. I don't know what his face down card is, and it would be a waste if I were to sacrifice my Mechanicalchaser for my Cyber-Tech Alligator and he ends up destroying it. _"Mechanicalchaser, attack his life points directly!"

The attack went straight towards him. It hit him, and even though his life points dropped to 6150, he didn't look phased at all.

Tea: 8000

Butch: 6150

"That will end my turn."

Inside the restaurant, Yugi was beginning to wonder what was taking Tea so long. He was actually starting to worry.

"Hey everyone, some hot brunette just challenged Butch Savage to a duel! Their right outside!"

"Hot brunette? You don't think he means.." Yugi started but began to run through the doors alongside Joey and Tristan.

"Tea!" Joey and Tristan yelled. They could not believe that it had only been five minutes and Tea had already gotten into a duel.

Yugi eyed the guy. _Butch Savage? Yami have you heard of this guy?_

_**Remember, we saw he on the news not to long ago. He's the guy who gets into all these duels with girls just to try and mess with their heads. He's ruthless but a manipulator too.**_

_I don't think Tea knows what she just got herself into…_

_**I don't think so, but she isn't weak minded either, Yugi. If she remembers everything we taught her, she should be okay.**_

_I hope your right._

"If that's all you've got you won't stand a chance," he said smiled at her. He drew a card from his deck. "Vorse Raider (ATK 1900, 1200) , show yourself! Destroy her monster!" Vorse Raider used his sword to slice Mechanicalchaser in half, but only damaging her life points by 50 points.

"By destroying my monster, you've activated my trap card, Michizure! This card is only effective when one of your monsters sends one of mine to the graveyard, it then allows me to destroy any one of your monsters I chose on the field. Say goodbye to your Vorse Raider."

"Hmm. I end my turn." Butch said crossing his arms.

Tea: 7950

Butch: 6150

Tea drew her next card.

"I hope you know you're just wasting your time," Butch said, making Tea look up at him.

"What are you saying?" Tea responded as she narrowed her eyes again.

"It's obvious that you're just an amateur. I can see it in your eyes. Why you are in this tournament is beyond me. You don't belong here," he said in an attempt to intimidate her, but Tea seemed more mad than anything.

"It's none of your damn business. I'm here to show pathetic people like you that I'm better than you! I summon La Jinn, Mystical Genie of the Lamp (ATK 1800, DEF 1000) in attack mode, and then I'll equip him with my Dark Pendant magic card! It gives my genie an extra 500 attack points (ATK 2300, DEF 1000)! La Jinn, attack his life points!" Still he seemed unaffected.

Tea: 7950

Butch: 3850

"With that, I'll end my turn."

He smiled. "You will never be better than me," he said just the card he needed. "I play Change of Heart!"

"No! My genie!" Tea said, as that was her only monster on the field.

"I sacrifice your genie to summon my Summoned Skull (ATK 2500, DEF 1200) to the field."

"Since you also sent my Black Pendant magic card to the graveyard, it takes 500 of your life points with it!"

"Ha! 500 life points is nothing considering that my monster has a direct target on your life points! Summoned Skull, attack her!"

"Tea!" Yugi, Joey and Tristan yelled. Duelling was one thing, but taking the physical hits was another.

"Tea isn't used ta da physical attacks dat comes with duelling, Yug. She could be seriously hurt!" He said with concern in his words.

"We gotta help her!" Tristan said beginning to run for her, but Yugi grabbed his arm. "Yug-"

"This is her duel. She has to do this on her own, and as her best friends, we have to trust that hse can take care of this on her own," Yugi said. As much as he wanted to help Tea out, he could feel that she was dealing with something she had to figure out on her own.

Tea fell to the ground on instant contact with his attack. It was obvious that the stronger the monster, the stronger the attack, and that was something that Tea was not used to.

Tea: 5450

Butch: 3350

Tea struggled to get up. She could not show weakness or else she would be falling into what he wanted. He wanted to see her struggle, and he wanted to see her in pain, and she wouldn't let him. She drew a card. "I play Premature Burial! For a cost of 800 of my life points, I can bring back one monster from my graveyard and summon them to the field in attack mode. I choose my Mechanicalchaser."

"You have triggered my trap card, Magic Thorn! Every time one of your cards is sent to the graveyard, this card will take away 500 of your life points!"

"No worries. I sacrifice my Mechanicalchaser to summon my Cyber-Tech Alligator to the field in attack mode!"

"What a waste of a turn, they are both equal in strength."

Tea smirked. "No they aren't."

Butch blinked. "What!"

"I activate one of my favorite magic cards, Riryoku!"

"Riryoku, what the hell is that?"

"I'm glad you asked. This magic card allows me to pick any monster card on the field and reduce its attack by half."

"You little-"

"If _that_ upset you, then you _really_ won't like what else this card does. The attack points that get reduced from your Summoned Skull goes straight to my Cyber-Teck Alligator raising his attack points to 3750!" His eyes widened. "Attack and destroy his Summoned Skull!"

Tea: 5450

Butch: 850

Tea stared at him and crossed his arms. "Give up yet? Well lucky for you, the effect of my Riryoku card only lasts for one turn, so my monster's attack points decrease back to 2500."

"I play one monster facedown in defense mode and end my turn."

The next card she drew was Axe of Despair, which she could use right away. "Ill equip my monster with the Axe of Despair, raising his attack points to 3500! Attack his face down monster!"

The monster flipped to reveal itself as Cyber Jar. "As you should know, Cyber Jar destroys all monsters on the field. Then, we both pick up 5 five cards from the top of our decks. We can special summon any monster card of level four or lower either face-up in attack mode or face down in defense mode. The other cards are then placed in our hands."

Tea did what was expected. "Thanks to you, I can place my Harpie's Brother and 7 Colored Fish in attack mode!" She also placed the other cards in her hands, which were Black Pendant, Call of the Haunted, and Shadow Ghoul (ATK 1600, DEF 1300).

"Then I'll place two of my monsters in face defense mode."

"And since it's still my battle phase, I'm able to attack your two monsters! Attack!" She destroyed his two monsters, one was the White Magical Hat (ATK 1000 DEF 700), but the other was Magician of Faith, and she was well aware of what special effect her favorite card had. _If my guess is right, he took advantage of grabbing his Change of Heart card...I'm going to have to be careful. _ "Before I end my turn, I'll place two of my cards faced down end my turn."

"I place two trap cards on the field, and summon my Vorse Raider in attack mode!"

"You've activated my Call of the Haunted trap card! It lets me summon one monster back from the graveyard. As long as my trap card stays face up, my monster stays. Cyber-Tech Alligator, Come back!"

"And you've triggered my trap card, Just Desserts! For every monster card you have on the field, 500 points are deducted from your life points! You have 3 monsters, so that's 1500! And you also lose 100 life points from what my Vorse Raider is going to do to your 7 Colored Fish." Her life points dropped to 3050.

Tea: 3050

Butch: 850

The guys looked at Tea, she didn't look good at all. "Come on Tea, hang in dere!" Joey said encouraging her.

"Yeah, make this guy pay for ever underestimating you!" Tristan said, but Yugi stayed quiet. He just knew that this duel was hers; he could see it in her eyes.

"My turn, and I play Graceful Charity! I can draw 3 cards from my hand as long as I discard two!" As she drew her cards and discarded the two she didn't need, she had forgotten all about his Magic Thorn trap card. _Shit…I've got to be more careful…_

"Amateur mistake," he laughed as he watched her life points drop.

Tea: 2050

Butch: 850

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you." He narrowed his eyes. "What you don't realize is that I'm holding the one card that is going to win me the duel."

"Your bluffing!" He yelled, challenging her, but all she did was smile.

"You wish," she then flipped the card over and revealed it to be Harpie's Feather Duster. His eyes grew wide.

"No! My trap cards!"

"Oh, don't worry, I have another surprise for you, actually, three. You see, I have two Malevolent Nuzzler cards in my hand, and a Black Pendant card face down on the field, all of them equip magic cards. I've been saving them, just for my Harpie's Brother. Equipping him with these cards, his attack will increase to 3700, and don't forget that you still have my Summoned Skull you have to deal with!"

Yugi smiled. Her strategy was going to work. He knew that she realized that if she had any chance in winning this duel, she would have to go after his trap cards, and she had to do it patiently.

"I can't lose! This can't be it!"

"With just one on the field to protect you, you can kiss your life points goodbye! Summoned Skull, destroy his Vorse Raider, and Harpie's Brother, take away the rest of his life points!"

Butch's life points dropped to zero and his duel disk was deactivated.

The gang ran over to her. "Tea! You duelled great!" Yugi said.

"Yeah I'd say you're already better than Joey!" Tristan said, not noticing that Joey was preparing to hit him upside his head.

"Watch it!" Joey responded.

Tea turned, looking for the girl who Butch was harassing. She walked over to her. "Are you okay?"

Her eyes made contact with her cerulean eyes as she smiled. "Although I'm out of the tournament, I'm glad I got to see someone kick his ass. Thank you!"

"This isn't over girl!" Butch yelled towards Tea. She turned around and she couldn't believe the look in his eyes. He looked crazy. She gasped as he ran towards them. She grabbed the girl to protect her and closed her eyes as she waited for contact that never came. The two opened their eyes and she saw someone who she never thought she'd see defending her.

"Kaiba!" She called out.

"Moneybags!" Joey said surprised. Joey, Yugi, and Tristan were running to help Tea but Kaiba got their first. They all watched as Kaiba punched the man in the face and kicked him to the ground.

"People like you make me sick," Kaiba sneered through his teeth. Guards immediately grabbed his arms and pulled him up. Butch then smiled.

"You are a piece of shit Kaiba," he noticed that the guards gripped had become a whole lot tighter. "And you hit like a bitch."

Kaiba's eyes narrowed. He had enough. "I'll make sure you'll never duel or see daylight again. Take him away." The guards violently grabbed him away. Kaiba never turned around to face them.

"We had everything under control Moneybags!" Joey said to him.

"Shut up Mutt. I'm not in the mood to hear your mouth." He replied coldly.

"Hey!" Joey said putting his fists up as Tristan already knew where this was going.

"Joey, calm down," Yugi said placing his hand on his shoulder.

Tea continued to stare at his back. "Thank you, Kaiba…I appreciate it."

He turned to look at her. "I didn't do this for you. I just can't stand the people who want to ruin my tournament." Tea blinked as she realized that he walked a little closer towards her. "And unless you have more strategies, tactics, or better monsters than what you have shown today, you won't survive your next duel." He closed his eyes and smirked. She watched him walk away. She began to feel her temper rise. She heard the guys trying to get her attention, but she only stayed focused on his figure.

_Just you wait Seto Kaiba…I'm stronger than what you think I am, and I'll make sure you see to it…_

Sergio, who had been watching the duel from the roof of a building, put his hands together. _Something about this girl makes her so…intriguing. I will definitely keep my eye on her. She may be useful to me in getting what I want. _He stood up to leave. _And I always get what I want._

**That's it for this chapter… Thank you for your reviews last chapter, I'm really looking forward to seeing what you have to say about this chapter. Oh, and might I add, I really hope you liked the duelling scene...I cannot explain to you how hard it is to go through a whole duel, so please don't be mad if it isn't what you expected. =) Let me know what you think!**


	4. More Than Just Duelling

**Yu-Gi-Oh! KC Grand Prix 2006**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own, I fantasize.

**99.9 percent of the things in this story are NOT true!**

***Also, Mai separated from the group so she could focus more on her duelling without all the distractions. Now on to the story!**

Chapter 4: More Than Just Duelling

The gang had finally settled down in the restaurant, with something on each of their minds. After the duel, and after Kaiba came and protected Tea from that guy, Bruce Savage, not a lot of words were exchanged between the best friends. They had congratulated Tea on her duel and she said nothing in response. She seemed a bit…distracted. It wasn't that the guys had done or said anything wrong, but they kind of understood that duelling had become important to Tea, even if the reasons were unknown.

Joey patiently waiting for his food continued to glance at Tea, who sat directly across from her, every now and then. It seemed like she was someone else in a way. She wasn't just a "cheerleader" anymore, like Kaiba labelled her to be, she was a duelist.

_What is her sudden interest in duelling? I'm not sayin she can't be a great duelist, but this is kinda outta her character. Jus' look at her, I've neva seen her so…determined bout sumthn like this._

Joey leaned back in his seat, and looked up at Yugi, who was sitting right next to Tea. He couldn't read the expression on the multi-colored haired teen, but he knew that he felt a tad bit concerned for their friend.

_I wonder does Yug knows what's goin on wit Tea..I mean, he did help her wit her deck in all. Maybe Tea told him her real reason fa wantin to duel..but wuldn't he have told us by now?.._

Joey then looked at Tea who was now staring directly at him. He slightly jumped. She had a weird look on her face. He switched his attention over to Yugi and Tristan and they had the same look on their faces. "Ahh! Wat's da matta w you guys?"

Tristan's mouth dropped. "Joey, something serious must be on your mind…"

Joey blinked a few times. _How could Tristan tell? Was he thinking the same exact thing I was thinking? Oh no…was I talking out loud again? _"Uhhh, not at all! Wat makes ya say that?"

The blond then looked at Yugi, who was smiling softly at him. "Maybe because your food has been sitting in front of you for 2 minutes and you haven't even made an attempt to touch it."

Joey's eyes widened a little as he looked down in front of him. Sure enough, his food sat in front of him. He was so deep in thought that he hadn't even realized that the waiter came and left, or that the others started eating. "Ah, I guess ima bit outa it," he sighed.

Tea studied him. He never let anything distract him from his food, and she could tell that there was something wrong with him. His eyes held what looked like concern and confusion in them. She softly sighed, believing that she knew the reason.

_I hate leaving the guys in the dark about this, but they don't need to know, not now. It just doesn't concern them and I just need to figure things out on my own. That I'm more than just an average girl…I have to find out my meaning in life. Was I meant to be my own individual, or was I just meant to support Yugi and Joey at what they did my whole life…_

A cell phone began to vibrate on the table and everyone stared at it. Someone was calling Tea. "Excuse me you guys," she said grabbing her phone and walking right outside. As she looked at the caller, she immediately cheered up and allowed a genuine smile to creep on her face. "Daddy!" She happily said as she answered her phone.

Rick Gardner smiled upon hearing how excited his daughter was. _"Hi Honey. Sorry I missed your call earlier. I was in an important meeting."_

"It's okay! I was just calling to let you know that my friends and I were going to stop by to visit."

He raised a brow, although she couldn't notice it. _"Oh? What are you doing here, honey?"_

"Yugi, Joey, and I are in the duelling tournament that Seto Kaiba threw and the first destination was home!"

"_Duelling? Since when have you gotten serious about duelling, Tea?" _

She sighed. She already knew that she was going to have to explain a lot of things to her father, but that didn't mean she had to do it now. "I'll tell you later…long story."

He chuckled. _"Sure. Well, stop by today when you can. I'm actually on my way home now, I've been working non-stop trying to keep Mazaki Corp. on track with all the paper work, proposals, and program simulations that needed to be done."_

Tea's smile turned into a slight frown. "Daddy, you know you shouldn't work too hard…"

"_But you know as well as I do, Tea that this company is not going to run itself,"_ he said looking outside the window of the limo.

"Yeah, I guess…" Tea said, unsure of how stressed her father really was.

"_Honey, don't worry about me. I'll be fine." _He smiled. He loved his daughter. He could tell that she was always concerned about his health and would be highly upset with him if he wasn't taking care of himself.

"You better be. I'll be there later to check up on you, Daddy." She said firmly. She cared about him too much to watch him throw his health away just for his company.

"_I know. Whenever you're ready, text me, I'll have a limo pick up you and your friends."_

"Thank you, Daddy. See you later!" Tea said as she hung up and turned into the restaurant to join her friends in a much better mood.

As Kaiba walked through the streets of Italy hours later, he could see numerous duels taking place. Some duels were just beginning and some just ending. Never once did he stop to watch, though, realizing that it was really no one worth watching. A bunch of them were amateurs, and just by one glance he could tell that most of them wouldn't last long because of the cards they had in their decks. They used pathetic monsters, combined with pathetic magic and trap cards. He had no idea how they even got in the tournament, but as long as the weak eliminated the weak, he didn't mind.

His mind then drifted off to Gardner and he smirked. He could guarantee that she wasn't going to survive her next round. Kaiba wasn't the type to pay people to duel her just to see her lose. If anything, he would duel her, himself, but he would love to see her struggle, see her squirm.

_I hope she didn't gain a little confidence from her duel with that wanna-be duelist, Savage. He is nothing but a low ranked duelist and would not have lasted long in the tournament anyway._

He closed his eyes and shook his head. _Her deck is going to need better cards if she plans on staying in this tournament, even though I doubt she would even know how to use them._

He heard a low chuckle and footsteps nearing him. He opened his eyes and noticed a tall slender man with jet black hair walk in his direction. Kaiba's ice cold eyes narrowed into slits as he stared at the man. Once he came shoulder to shoulder with Kaiba, he seemed to have stopped. Kaiba frowned.

"Good afternoon Mr. Kaiba. It sure is a pleasure to speak with you," the man said with a devilish smirk playing upon his lips.

Kaiba continued to stare at him and turned away. "I never said you could speak to me. Get out of my sight." With a look of pure disgust on his face, Kaiba began to leave.

"You are pathetic, Kaiba." The man said, stopping the 19 year old CEO in his tracks. He turned around and his eyes hardened.

"What did you just say.." Kaiba asked in a dangerously low tone.

"It seems you don't recognize me." Sergio smiled and Kaiba then raised a questioning eyebrow.

Sergio seemed to not be intimidated by Kaiba's stare. "I am Sergio Fiasco a muti-millionaire in the US and someone who you need to show respect to."

Kaiba's arms immediately crossed and his eyes closed. "Oh, please, you are absolutely no threat to me, and you do not deserve my respect."

"Oh really? You will have no choice but to show me respect when I'm through with you." Kaiba snorted. "Watch your step, Kaiba, or you will find yourself somewhere you do not want to be."

"Ha, is that a threat?" Kaiba asked with a bit of humour in his voice.

"It is more than just a threat, Kaiba. It's a promise." Sergio smiled and began to walk away, not looking at the intense look that was left on Kaiba's face.

Kaiba watched him as he walked away. _The day you would be a threat to me is the day that I would be friends with Joey Wheeler._ His phone began to vibrate. He did not need to look at the caller id to know that it was his younger brother calling him, since it was the only call he was expecting.

He lifted the phone up to his ear as he began walking to headquarters. "Hi, Mokuba."

"What's up, big bro?"

"Making sure that the tournament is going exactly as planned."

"We have been keeping a close eye on all of the duelists today and none so far seems to be a threat to our tournament."

"Good."

"When should we expect you back at Headquarters?"

"Soon. There are just a few things here that I need to check up on."

"Okay Seto. Please be safe. No one right now seems to be a big threat to anyone, but that doesn't mean that they're not crazy." Mokuba was growing up, meaning that he could make sense of most things that he couldn't before. One thing that he learned was that no matter where they went, they would always run into crazy people who were determined to either kidnap him to get to Seto or would do anything possible to catch Seto off guard.

"Don't worry, kid. I'll be fine." Kaiba's eyes softened.

"I love you, big bro." Mokuba said

A faint smile appeared on Kaiba's face. "I love you, too."

The limo pulled up in front of the gang and the chauffeur got out of the car and walked around to open the door for them.

"Geoffrey!" Tea gave him a hug.

"Good afternoon to you Miss Tea." He said returning the hug. "It's good to see you again."

"Likewise! How has life been?"

"As exciting as it can get when working for your busy father." Tea laughed. She loved Geoffrey. He was a close friend of the family and he was always someone who she could turn to if she did not want to disturb her father when he was busy with work.

"He isn't working himself too hard is he?" He could tell that the concern for her father's working habits has not changed. By looking in her eyes he could tell that she was still the same little girl she was years ago who thought her daddy worked too hard.

"When does he not work too hard?" He said as he put his hand on her shoulder. Tea sighed. "But who are your friends?" She turned around and smiled.

"How rude of me. Geoffrey, these are my best friends, Yugi, Joey and Tristan."

"Nice to meet you, gentlemen. I hope Tea has been behaving herself." Geoffrey said to the gang and grinned.

"Yeah, she has been a real lady!" Joey and Tristan said as they began to rub the back of their heads. They could have sworn that the back of their head was not this tender before they met Tea. Anytime they do something stupid, or even think about it, Tea does not hesitate to smack them upside the head. Yugi just laughed.

"Come on guys! My daddy is waiting for us!" Tea exclaimed as she happily jumped in the limo.

It did not take them long to get to Tea's father's house. As the limo pulled up in the driveway, the guys could not help but stare in amazement.

"Geez, T, I knew your dad's house was big, but not THIS big!" Joey jumped out the limo.

"Come on Joey, you couldn't guess that the house was going to be amazing by the ride in the sweet limo?" Tristan added as he followed his best friend.

Yugi and Tea looked at each other and smiled. "They act as if they have never seen a mansion before, Yugi."

"I don't know what they expected. Your father is in charge of one of the most successful companies in the world."

Tea laughed and opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off by a warm welcome from the front door.

"Sweetheart!" Rick called to her. It did not take Tea long to see her father and run into his arms. The gang enjoyed the heartfelt scene before them. They way they hugged you could tell that they missed each other.

"Daddy! I've missed you!" Tea said finally breaking away after awhile.

"I've missed you more" He said planting a soft kiss on her forehead. Looking at the guys he smiled. "Yugi, Joey, Tristan, nice to finally meet you. Tea has told me so much about you. Come in and make yourselves at home."

After hours of talking to Rick, he felt like he needed to talk to his daughter and see what was really going on. They walked outside to the garden their backyard. Rick figured they could talk there since she knew it used to be her favorite place to go as a kid.

"The garden is still as beautiful as I remember it." Tea said as she bent down to get a better look at the flowers.

"You know, I make sure the garden is perfect everyday. It reminds me of you so much because I know how much you love this place." He said standing at her side. Tea smiled. There were so many memories of her and her dad would just come out here in the middle of the night and look at the flowers, or stargaze and such.

"I love it here. I miss being a little girl and coming out here with you." She stood up, looking her father in the eyes.

"I miss it all too, but I know you have to be your own independent young woman and live the life you feel is best for you. Too bad it could not have been here." Rick said with a smirk.

"I wish it could have been here too, but I love my life in Domino, with my friends, and chasing after my dream."

"One thing that I admired about you is that no matter what anyone said, you always stayed focused and have done all the right things, even when I don't understand your reasoning." Rick raised a brow and he knew Tea would know what he was getting at.

"You want to know why I'm duelling, huh?"

He laughed. "Well I certainly cannot say that it is one of the easiest things to understand."

Tea stared at him. _My daddy is the only one who would understand me about this situation._ "Look daddy, this duelling thing…I…Well.." _Too bad it is so hard to explain! This is my problem, and I know that if I tell him that Kaiba basically said that I was nothing, he would kill him! _"..I got challenged to enter the competition."

Rick gave her a weird look. "Challenge? What do you mean? Why would someone challenge you to enter a duelling tournament when duelling is not your…forte?" He then became a little more serious. "Who was it? Was it a guy? I swear I'll make him pay for dragging you in-"

She swiftly placed her hands on his chest. "Daddy! No! There is no need! It's okay…" She could see that he had calmed down a bit. "..I need to do this. I feel the need to. You know I never back down from a challenge and I don't intend on starting now."

"Baby, you are in the most competitive tournament ever thrown, don't you think you should have-"

"What? Let Seto Kaiba that I am not capable of holding my own?" Tea let the name slip. _Crap._ She planned on letting him know what was going on, but she did not want to bring names into it.

"Seto Kaiba? He's the reason why you are duelling?"

"Daddy, look, it's not what you think and he is not controlling me." She sighed as she saw the look in her father's eyes. She grabbed his hands. "You raised me right, Daddy, and I know that you told me that I should not care what others think, but I have worked too hard in life and I am too proud of myself to let some man think that I am weak. I will prove my worth to him, no matter what it takes."

His eyes softened and he embraced her. "You are a strong young woman, Tea Marie Gardner. I just want you to realize what you have gotten yourself into, but I know that regardless of what happens you are tough enough to handle it."

She kissed him on the cheek. "I knew you would understand. Thank you."

"No need to thank me Sweetheart, I'm your father, I am supposed to understand you."

In that moment, Tea remembered what it felt like to be apart of a loving family. Her father had been there through it all, when she used to have nightmares, when she fell off her bike and scraped her knee, when she needed to call him at anytime she felt lonely because her aunt was away, and he was there when she was preparing herself to take down Kaiba. She could not imagine where she would be without him and his support.

"Just promise me that if you ever need anything, that you let me know." Rick said sincerely.

"Hey Tea!" The two turned towards the door to see an eager Joey. "Yug and I are ready to find some duelists' butts to kick! You in?"

They both laughed and began leaving the garden. Once at the entrance, Tea refused to walk another step until she looked her father in the eyes and made sure that she made him happy. "I promise."


End file.
